From "Wanted" to "Kick-Ass," the comic book work of Mark Millar has had a happy home on film. Now, it appears that the writer is looking to get a word in edgewise with the movie medium by making his debut as a director.
Over at Millar's official website, the writer revealed that he'll be directing his very own superhero movie for the big screen. While he wouldn't reveal the title or storyline for the new film, Millar did say that he'd approach the original project much the same as director Matthew Vaughn approached "Kick-Ass"—in other words, without the backing of a big studio.
"I'm doing what Matthew Vaughn did with Kick-Ass and just making it outside the system with private investors," said Millar. "The financing is all secured and the movie stands or falls on how good I can make it, doing what Matthew did and just selling it once completed." Read more...
Last week, we posted several comments from "Wanted" and "Kick-Ass" co-creator Mark Millar about the likelihood of seeing his epic, much-discussed "Superman" screenplay arrive on the big screen. Over the weekend, Millar hinted on his message boards that he believed some of the quotes were fabricated, and indicated that details surrounding the project were not presented accurately.
"I don't think I said they couldn't afford me now," wrote Millar. "If I did I was joking because writing Superman would be a massive payday so if I said that I was obviously laughing at the time. It's possible though as I like being glib."
In the interest of presenting all the facts and letting readers judge for themselves, we've posted video from the portion of the interview in question (conducted during this year's Comic-Con in San Diego). Read more...
Most comic-to-film stories seem marred when a fan-favorite detail gets lost in translation, but in the case of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s "Kick-Ass," one character seems to have gained something in the comic's transition to the silver screen.
The title character's cohort in crime fighting, The Red Mist, has inherited a righteous mop in place of his Zorro-style bandana from the comics—a stylistic variation actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse seems pretty keen on.
"[The look] fits for the character," Mintz-Plasse told MTV News, "The character is very in his dad's shadow. He doesn't get to hang out a lot with friends because he always has a bodyguard around. He kind of wanted that wild side—that '80s glam-rock kind of look. And I love [David] Bowie—I love that kind of hair." Read more...
When "Kick-Ass" premieres on April 13, audiences will not only be seeing one of the year's most-anticipated comic book movies, but they could also get the first look at what's in store "Kick-Ass 2."
The "Kick-Ass" sequel that writer Mark Millar said would begin shooting within two years already has a premise, and he says there will "definitely" be a follow-up. Though it's unknown whether Matthew Vaughn will return to direct or Marvel Entertainment's new Disney owners would distribute a sequel instead of Lionsgate, the miniseries' creator remains certain that "Kick-Ass 2" will happen.
"There's a basic plot," Millar told MTV News. "The series ends on a teaser for the next one, and the movie ends on that teaser, too." Read more...
[UPDATE: Video from this interview and a response to concerns raised by Mark Millar about the quotes have now been posted. -RM]
Now that Warner Bros. has a mandate to produce a new Superman film by 2011, speculation goes in several directions anticipating what form Kal-El will take. "Kick-Ass" and "Wanted" creator Mark Millar notably pitched an epic take on the Last Son of Krypton, which subsequently received little interest from WB.
However, even though he still harbors a deep love for the Man of Steel, Millar now says he expects his trilogy-long Superman tale to remain in stasis despite WB's renewed mission.
"I don't think they could afford me now," Millar told MTV News. "I'll stick with Marvel." Read more...
The curving bullets and hot kisses of "Wanted" could be returning to theaters quicker than anyone expected. The sequel, written by "Pooh's Heffalump" writer Evan Spiliotopoulos, reportedly has a finished script turned in, and the original comic book property's writer, Mark Millar, claims production is on a fast track.
Millar predicted that shooting for "Wanted 2" could begin within eight weeks' time, according to SuperHeroHype.com. The high-profile comics scribe, who created "Wanted" with artist J.G. Jones, offered his positive assessment of the the movie's productions timeline at Comic-Con this week during a conversation about "Kick-Ass." Read more...
At a Comic-Con panel today, Warner Bros. announced three more additions to their Motion Comics line, which previously saw "Watchmen" being adapted in numerous chapters. The projects on the docket include Mark Millar's "Superman: Red Son" (an alternate timeline tale where Superman landed in Communist Russia rather than Smallville, Kansas), "Batgirl: Year One" and "Batman: Black and White Collection 2."
The comics will be available through iTunes, with "Red Son" and "Batgirl" hitting the digital airwaves first. Catch a sneak peek at "Red Son" below, and then click here to download it for free.
For a film without a release date and a comic without a strict publishing schedule, Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s "Kick-Ass" continues to intrigue fans of over-the-top crime fighting. Now, as both projects proceed toward their respective conclusions, Romita has started to open up regarding how the source material and the adaptation will likely diverge.
In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Romita offered an update on his current comic book progress stating that he was almost done with issue #7 and into issue #8 -- the series' final issue. That being the case, Romita said he's well aware that what he draws might not match up perfectly with director Matthew Vaughn's ending for the film. Read more...
Mark Millar is credited with several comic book triumphs such as "Superman: Red Son" and "The Ultimates," but it's his creator-owned works such as "Wanted" and "Kick-Ass" that are getting the most attention in Hollywood, the latter of which is currently in post-production.
In fact, the Scottish comics writer's upcoming Nicolas Cage-starrer has already received so much early buzz that a sequel is currently in the works. Millar told SCI FI Wire that "Kick-Ass 2" will be underway a lot sooner than some fans might expect -- within the next two years, even. Read more...
To the surprise of many, "Pooh's Heffalump" screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos was announced last week as the new writer for "Wanted 2," the sequel to the 2008 film based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones' comic book series.
Spiliotopoulos appears to have taken over the writing duties from original "Wanted" movie scribe Chris Morgan, who told MTV News back in November that he was working on a more "global" story for the sequel.
Earlier this week, Millar addressed concerns about the former "Pooh" writer on his website's message boards, explaining the basis for Spiliotopoulos' selection and teasing that there's blockbuster-level money at play in the development of "Wanted 2." Read more...
